The Wild Ride That Was Super Bowl Week In Houston

The only thing more remarkable than the Patriots coming back from 25 points down agains the Falcons was Terry Bradshaw’s story about why Matthew McConaughey made the face that he did while they were filming the buck naked scene from Failure to Launch.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am beyond blessed.

The opportunities that I have gotten over the years to sit and chat with Hall of Fame quarterbacks from Joe Montana to Dan Marino to Terry Bradshaw are something I wish every football fan had the chance to experience. And the fact that there is a paycheck attached to rolling around with puppies and interviewing Jennie Finch about her love of dogs is nothing short of magical.

Well, from meeting Pam Oliver in our hotel lobby and breaking Brian Portz’s heart in the process to crying on stage in front of 100-something people because Bradshaw is the funniest man in football, here is the week that was for me in Houston leading up to Super Bowl 51:

Tuesday

Arrived at the Hilton Americas in Houston. Two minutes after meeting my good pal Vinny, we bump into Pam Oliver in the lobby.

Wednesday

Media hits in support of Puppy Bowl XIII start at 8:30 a.m. with a live spot on Houston’s Fox affiliate. From there it’s off to CNN and Headline News with Coy Wire.

KHOU stops by the Puppy Bowl Experience for a live shot before and during the first day of action.

Detroit Lions punter Sam Martin stops by the Puppy Bowl Experience to help find forever homes for all of the pups and during the process proves that Packers fans and Lions players can make it through 30 minutes without beating the snot out of each other.

Another media hit for Puppy Bowl XIII with the local Fox affiliate, but Miss America stops by to hang and chat for about 15 minutes. Guys, if you’re still single at the age of 35, do yourself a solid and get a puppy. Tommy Gimler does not get time with Miss America if there isn’t a puppy or two involved.

Then it’s off to the Puppy Bowl Experience to “rufferee” some intense action on the Puppy Bowl field. Justin Pugh and Marshall Newhouse from the New York Giants stop by to help spread the puppy love.

The day gets off to another great start at the Puppy Bowl Experience when Stepfan Taylor of the Arizona Cardinals stops by to show the puppies how to find the end zone. One puppy scores 43 touchdowns in a 20-minute first quarter.

Taylor is followed by the first female scout in NBA history. She has been a cheerleader for the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Golden State Warriors. She’s also been an analyst or reporter for pretty much every sports network, and she now has her own show coming to VH1 in April. She’s pretty much the female equivalent to the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World,” and her name is Bonnie Jill-Laflin.

I would have stayed to chat with Laflin for the entire day, but it was off to the Chase United VIP Lounge to interview the first coach to win both a national championship and Super Bowl. Jimmy Johnson was outstanding, and there was one Oklahoma State fan who finally got some closure after he talked about an onside kick that happened some 33 years ago.

Then it was back to the Puppy Bowl Experience, where the 2015 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne was waiting to help find forever homes for the puppies and talk about moving closer to home to play for the Mystics.

Dah nah nah, dah nah nah. The only media hit for Puppy Bowl XIII Saturday morning was with Trent Dilfer on SportsCenter. Despite the fact that Dilfer forgot to throw it over to me to talk about the big game, it was still a fun experience. About three minutes before we were live on the air, a puppy we would later name “Little Ray Lewis” reached up and cut Dilfer’s lip wide open. Who knows? Maybe he was concussed and that’s why he forgot to let me talk.

Then it was off to the Chase United VIP Lounge to interview four-time Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw, who is easily the funniest man in football. This 15-minute clip that has been viewed almost 130,000 times has gotten a lot of love from friends and family, but the real fun came after they turned the camera off. If you were one of the 100+ in attendance, then you know what I’m talking about. If you weren’t, then I’m sorry, but that was truly a hysterical and special 45 minutes to be a part of.

Sunday

The final day at the Puppy Bowl Experience started with USWNT players Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris stopping by to help these Houston Humane puppies find forever homes.

And just before the day came to a close, Elena Delle Donne returned one more time to help spread the puppy love along with her friend and fellow gold medal winner Jennie Finch. Again, neither of these two ladies stop by to spend time with me if not for the puppies. Guys, do yourself a favor and head to your local animal shelter and give an adorable puppy a forever home, and this could be you.